Time to be critical of Unions.

What? I can hear you know.

The Unions do suck in one critical respect...they really suck at telling their story. It is time for all these powerful labor leaders to have a moment of reflection...why is is that even our members don't know what we do?

Well, part of it is that Unions suck at internal communications and keeping workers "in the know." They also suck at telling it's members and those outside the Union what working life was before the Union.

Oh and one last thing...they are not fighting for the elite construct of middle class...let's make that crystal clear. And buying into that, and being good loyal soldiers during the Cold War got you nothing. What unions fight for, whether it's teachers, linemen, industrial workers or janitors..is the working class.

It is high time labor gets it...it is war, it is class...and time to talk in those exact terms.

Where can they start?

Damn it, you got no idea how many locals DO NOT even have a newsletter. Yup, we have more than a few labor leaders that love to operate in the shadows. For god sakes, I could recommend a few things. A Posterous blog, a word press blog, even a Facebook page could work as one. But they simply don't want to do that, and then wonder why rank and file "hates the union and thinks the union is just taking my money."

Let's be honest here, they got cause. They see nothing in the form of real communications and some local leaders suck at getting any criticism from their members and will retaliate. Yup, they were elected, but act as petit-dictators. This has to stop...

Unions also need to find friendly press and expand from there. Realize that most local reporters, if you are good to them, should start to change how labor is covered. Average pay is $35,000. But the beauty queens on national TV, on purpose they have no identification with working people.

Speaking of press...time to recreate the great labor presses of the past.

In other words, labor needs to remember the past, and remember that the great labor struggle of the past included telling people why things were done. Relying on the corporate press is like asking Colonel Sanders to like chickens, well, beyond the fryer that is.

2. Yup

I offered my local, well hubby's local...to code a web page for them. I had dreamweaver at the time and could do it in a day.

All they needed to do was maintain it.

I mean code it for free.

They are *still* looking for a contractor to do that...been six years. They could be up and running in ten minutes flat with posterous. Wordpress is a little more tricky, still finding my way around it. But posterous takes ten minutes.

So I had to conclude...shadows is the preferred modus operandi, and the meeting is quite useless too.

4. and that is why I believe we are done with unions.

Something needs to take the place of what is called unions.

My thought would be a collection of workers that were dedicated to buying the business. I see it possible by taking a small amount out of each paycheck. I don't see it as being easy but for America to continue I think we must take over.

3. You are absolutely correct

Unions need to throw their money together and take a page out of corporate America's book by hiring a high end PR firm to tell the story!
If you stop 10 people on the street most of them would either have a negative or neutral opinion on unionism..........